Rhubarb is one of those plants that has an acquired taste; tart and a little sour, yet seductive in its own kind of way.
But, with its limited availability, it should be enjoyed in season. Would you know how to tell if your rhubarb is bad or good to eat?
How Long Does Rhubarb Last in the Fridge
Brought home from the supermarket or greengrocer, rhubarb can be stored in your fridge for 5-7 days, and will retain most of its freshness. Beyond this time it’s best to prepare it for freezing, see below.
How To Tell if Rhubarb is Bad When Cooked
Although technically a vegetable, rhubarb is most often served as a dessert. It’s mostly prepared as ‘stewed’ (cooked in sugared water until soft) and served with other fruit, like rhubarb and apple.
In this context, it may be harder to determine whether or not the rhubarb has gone bad, so careful attention to detail is needed. Here are a few key areas you can use to identify when your cooked rhubarb has gone bad:
Where fresh raw rhubarb is scarlet on the outside, and usually lime-green when cut into, cooked rhubarb takes on a different hue.
When cooked, it will often lose much of its vibrant red colour, as this colour can be transferred to other ingredients or even the cooking liquid if stewed or braised.
However, rhubarb that is looking green-grey should be viewed with suspicion. Rhubarb goes this colour, and more of a brown-grey, as it turns and begins to rot.
If your cooked rhubarb looks like this, it’s going to be safer to bin it than to eat it.
Forget that earthy-zesty-punchy smell, cooked rhubarb that has gone bad will smell bad. It’ll still have a sour note, but as the enzymes within the rhubarb begin to break down the fibres within the stalks, the smell changes from pleasant to nose curling.
You can expect that fresh smell to have gone, and instead, it will be more like a sour rotting citrus/cabbage aroma. Even if you’re not sure, your nose will know!
Fresh, or freshly cooked, rhubarb has a certain stiffness or shape to it. Even when cooked, often the fibres from within the rhubarb will still be stringy and offer some structure.
However, rhubarb that’s gone too far down the path to the bin, well it’s nothing like that. Cooked rhubarb looks and feels slimy, the fibres are overly soft, and the mouth-feel will be unsettling. If you’re at all in doubt, discard the rhubarb immediately.
As you’d expect, cooked rhubarb should still have a certain tartness to it; slightly sour but not unpleasant, and often benefits from a little sugar.
Once the cooked rhubarb has gone bad, this changes dramatically. The flavour becomes undeniably sour, rotten, and can even feel ‘fizzy’ in the mouth if it makes it that far. Needless to say, do not swallow rhubarb that has gone bad.
If ingested, it will most likely cause an unsettling and unpleasant stomachache, and at worst cause you to seek medical advice.
Just as with fresh rhubarb, there should be no mould. What you will likely see though, is a separation of liquids. This happens as the rhubarb breaks down and the enzymes change within the plant.
A visual clue is the forming of a clear liquid floating on top of the cooked rhubarb, and can even have a secondary white growth on the edges of this liquid. Rhubarb with this appearance should be discarded immediately.
Rhubarb Troubleshooting – What’s happening with my rhubarb| Lunch Break VLOG #34
FAQ
How can you tell if rhubarb is safe to eat?
When not to use rhubarb?
How long does rhubarb last in refrigerator?
Has my rhubarb gone bad?
How do you know if rhubarb has gone bad?
The stalks should be rigid and uniform in size and weight and do not bend without breaking. Conversely, when your rhubarb has seen better days or has in fact gone bad, it softens and becomes limp. Rhubarb that is no longer edible will not be able to keep upright and should be discarded. When rhubarb is fresh, it has a sharp and acidic taste.
Is rhubarb good?
Rhubarb is a nutritious food that contains phytochemicals that play an important role in health, they help protect the body against metabolic disorders, have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action, and improve digestion and intestinal function.
Does cooked rhubarb taste bad?
As you’d expect, cooked rhubarb should still have a certain tartness to it; slightly sour but not unpleasant, and often benefits from a little sugar. Once the cooked rhubarb has gone bad, this changes dramatically. The flavour becomes undeniably sour, rotten, and can even feel ‘fizzy’ in the mouth if it makes it that far.
What happens if you eat rhubarb?
If ingested, it will most likely cause an unsettling and unpleasant stomachache, and at worst cause you to seek medical advice. Just as with fresh rhubarb, there should be no mould. What you will likely see though, is a separation of liquids. This happens as the rhubarb breaks down and the enzymes change within the plant.